Across Time
by TigerLilith
Summary: 500 yrs ago one of the world's best fighting forces disappeared at the end of a long, hard fought battle and no one has been able to find out what happened.  Now, when it's needed, one man will struggle to find the truth...and his soul's match. Seiner.
1. The Beginning of the End

**Prologue: The Beginning of the End**

This was bad, very bad. The battle had been raging for the better part of two hours and was showing no signs of stopping. Bodies of friends and foes alike littered the battleground while the living fought to keep from joining them. Hayner Strife was one of those lucky few left, though 'lucky' was a relative term right now. Slashing out with his sword, he cut down another foe in front of him and ran through the opening in an attempt to re-join his squad. He could see his cousin, Cloud, up ahead surrounded by four of the enemy while the other remaining members of the team were spread out nearby, fighting their own individual battles. Adjusting the grip on his weapon, Hayner charged into the fray and took the attention of two of Cloud's attackers.

He parried one attack but failed to completely dodge the next and he went down on one knee as a knife was embedded in his left thigh. Bringing his blade up to deflect the next blow, he then used some of his quickly dwindling supply of mana to send a gust of wind in the direction of his two opponents, sending them flying back. Using the momentary distraction, Hayner pulled the knife from his leg, sealed the wound closed with a healing spell and stood back up. Switching his sword to his off hand, he balanced the knife and sent it flying towards the first man to make his way back up, hitting him in the chest. As the unfortunate man fell to the ground with a gurgle, the second charged at Hayner with a yell and began swinging with all he had left.

Surprised by the ferocity of the attack, Hayner barely managed to block and spent a few minutes on the defensive before seeing an opportunity to strike back. Sliding underneath his enemy's weapon, he came up and inside the other man's guard to run him through. Breathing heavily, Hayner wrenched his own weapon free and turned to see that Cloud had dispatched his own foes and was looking around the area. Hayner loped up to his cousin and surveyed the carnage. "Where are the others?"

Cloud gestured to a small pocket of fighting in the distance. "They're all over there; it looks like we were the only two to be separated." He glanced down and noticed the blood soaking Hayner's left leg. "Are you alright?"

The younger Strife nodded. "I healed it but I'm running low on mana; if I can't either find an ether or finish this soon, I won't be good for much. As it stands, I think I'm only good for one more summon and a handful of weaker spells."

"Alright then. Let's rejoin the others and see if we can't put an end to this once and for all."

Breaking into a run, the two blondes hurried to rejoin their comrades. Before making it to the rest of the group, however, they sky turned black and angry clouds laced with red lightning began boiling up from the horizon. Before either really knew what was happening, the largest summon Hayner had ever seen began emerging from the center of the writhing mass. As the unknown esper prepared for an attack, Hayner had just enough time to attempt a shield before he was slammed with the force of the energy released and his world went dark.

* * *

><p>AN: So...another one...I couldn't help but start it once I'd decided how to begin...


	2. 500 Years Too Late

**Chapter 2: 500 Years Too Late**

When Seifer Almasy first heard the legend of the guardians, he was just 5 years old. His parents had taken him to see an exhibit about the end of the last Great Summoner War which had been filled with old pieces of tech, weapons and various other relics. While the entire thing had been fairly interesting to a young boy, it was the large mural at the end showing the members of what some considered to be the world's most elite squad that caught, and held, his attention. More specifically, it was the young man with honey brown eyes in the middle that he couldn't look away from. He'd stared, transfixed, while the local curator had regaled the crowd with tales of the guardians ending at their sudden disappearance at the end of the war.

"But, what happened to them?" He asked.

The curator smiled. "No one knows; that's why it's such a mystery."

Seifer had just wrinkled his brow and asked "Well, why has no one tried to find out?"

"Oh, many people have over the years…but it happened a very long time ago and things become harder as time goes by. Some people still look into it occasionally, but there isn't much to go on and they fail."

This just didn't seem right to Seifer; if someone _he_ thought was important disappeared, he wouldn't stop looking no matter what. Staring back into the smiling eyes of the young man whose name he had just learned, the often serious little boy made up his mind. Turning to the curator who was still looking at him, he pulled his beanie a little farther down on his head and said, "Well then, I'm going to look for them… and _I'm_ going to _succeed._"

* * *

><p>20 years later<p>

While Seifer had meant what he'd said as a child, he had to admit all these years later that he'd sure picked one hell of a self-appointed task. That first visit to the museum had only been the beginning of Seifer's interest and he had since read everything he could get his hands on that even made a remote mention of the group he hoped to find. At first, people marveled that such a young boy had such a fascination with something that had happened so long ago. After all, most children his age were more interested in playing war than in researching it. By the age of 10, Seifer was more interested in his search than in making, or maintaining, friends so his parents decided that it was perhaps time to intervene…for his own good, of course.

Finding himself packed up and sent off to Balamb Garden boarding school should have ended the near obsession in his parents' minds but only added fuel to the fire; especially when Seifer discovered the vast archives with several sections dedicated to the Summoner War and those that fought in it. I mean, really, what did they expect…Balamb Garden was a _military_ boarding school.

Eventually, Seifer did make friends in the form of a young boy and young girl named Raijin and Fujin, respectively. It was fortunate that they'd met each other since they seemed to share a similar fascination with the group Seifer was actively searching for. In each of their cases, however, the interest was with the group's fighting prowess and the technology that they had used to such great effect (and that had subsequently been lost) rather than with the fate of any single member.

Still, the trio had become fast friends and while Seifer's family still didn't understand the obsession with knowing what happened to a small group of people 500 years in the past, they were happy he'd made friends and, as long as Seifer continued to make progress at school, they were content to let it go. If only everyone was of the same mind…which led Seifer to where he currently was; sitting in the office of Zack Fair, his current commanding officer.

Zack, being a fairly laid back kind of guy, was listening with no small amount of amusement as Seifer vented about his current, and soon to be former, History professor. It wasn't Seifer's fault the man had had all of his information incorrect about the guardians (who were actually called the Turks, if anyone actually cared to research it)…and suggesting that they'd all been espers from another planet that had 'returned home' after the war had just been ludacris. How was Seifer supposed to sit through all of _that_ without saying something? The subsequent argument that had landed the blonde man on report and in Zack's office wasn't his fault; really.

"That man is an_ ASS_."

Zack chuckled. "Maybe so, but he is the one with the doctorate."

Seifer looked disgusted. "In _what_? Bullshit?"

Zack's lips twitched. "Maaaybe."

At that, Seifer smirked a little and stood to go look out the window. In the courtyard below, he could see small groups of people being mobilized to practice battle maneuvers. He sobered. "So it really is looking like war then?"

Zack joined him at the window. "Yeah. The reports all seem to indicate things are heading in that direction." He sighed. "There seems to be a fairly large group of summoners gathering somewhere to the north and while there haven't been any large confrontations as of yet, it's only a matter of time."

Seifer grunted in frustration and turned his back to the window, crossing his arms. "All the more reason we should be looking for the old Turk bases. We don't have anything near the level of tech they did when the last summoner war was fought and look how bad that one turned out to be." He looked at his friend. "We're going to lose a hell of a lot of people without some sort of edge."

Zack moved to sit behind his desk and pulled a file from one of the lower drawers. "That same fact has finally occurred to the top brass; I'm hoping it won't be too late to completely avert disaster." He opened the file and flipped through its contents. "We know of a few areas where the Turks supposedly had either an outpost or at least a supply depot; there are research groups being dispatched to those within the next couple of days."

"What about the main base I've found mention of? That would be the best chance of salvaging something useful."

Zack grimaced. "You know that without more evidence to support it, an official research team will never be sent…"

"That is such bullshit! You know damn well that I've found several references to both the base and its location; just because some stuffy bureaucrat who's never once stepped in the field once in his life…"

Zack held up his hands. "Alright, alright!" He scratched his head. "I forget how gung-ho you are about the Turks sometimes. Maybe you should have been a historian instead of a soldier…"

Seifer huffed and looked away. "I don't mean to sound obsessive but I have been looking into the disappearance of the Turks pretty much my entire life. I can't help it if finding their main base is probably going to be my best chance at finding out what happened to Hayner."

Zack raised a single eyebrow. "Hayner?"

Seifer squirmed. "I meant the Turk summoner."

"Uh-huh." He studied the blonde man before him. "You do know that after 500 years he's dead, right?" Blue eyes glared in his direction. "Just checking."

* * *

><p>Not up for socializing with anyone after he'd finished in Zack's office, Seifer took himself back to his rooms and flung himself on the couch. Closing his eyes, the scarred man began the process of relaxing his muscles and soon after he felt the ones in his neck unclench, he fell asleep.<p>

Seifer knew he had to be dreaming when he opened his eyes to a fog covered landscape surrounded in darkness. Feeling as though he wasn't alone, he turned and noticed a lone figure standing about ten feet away, staring out into the inky black of the surrounding area. He'd seen the profile currently presented to him too many times to mistake the young man for anyone but the Turk summoner, Hayner. Before Seifer could take a step towards him, however, Hayner raised his head slightly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you trapped here, too?"

Seifer blinked in surprise; this certainly wasn't the first time he'd dreamt of Hayner over the years but it was definitely the first time he'd ever spoken. "Trapped?"

He hummed. "Not physically, but mentally." The summoner looked around. "It seems like every time I close my eyes lately, this is where I end up." He glanced over at Seifer for the first time since he'd spoken. "Although, I don't usually have company here; you'd think that if I were to have company, it would at least be someone I'm familiar with."

Seifer smiled slightly and moved towards the younger male. "You may not be familiar with me, but I am with you." He stopped less than an arm's length away from the young Turk. "I've been looking for you a long time, Hayner."

Hayner gave the man next to him an appraising look and then, tipping his head back to gaze up at a starless sky, he smiled. "There aren't many people that would search out a summoner; usually they're too busy running in the other direction."

"I'm not like most people."

The smile got bigger. "No, I can see that you're not."

"You don't wonder why I've been looking for you?"

Hayner brought his face back down and swiveled to look straight into the blue eyes next to him. "I think a better question would be what you plan on doing if you find me."

Seifer opened his mouth to reply as the fog began to swirl around him and he suddenly awoke with a start, the image of honey brown eyes lingering in his memory. Shaking his head a little to clear it, a knock sounded from his door and he called for whoever it was to enter. Fuujin entered followed closely by her boyfriend, Raijin.

"BUSY?"

Giving his head one more shake, Seifer replied in the negative and stood with a stretch. "What's going on?"

"MEETING."

Rai crossed his arms. "It's about the summoners that are gathering; it's optional but we thought you'd want to go, ya know?"

Seifer nodded. "Yeah, thanks. This is going to be too big for us to stay out of it for long."

Fuu and Rai each nodded before following their friend to where the other members of Balamb Garden's military force were gathering to discuss the threat in the north. Squeezing into the crowded auditorium, Seifer spotted space near the front and got settled only moments before some of the top commanders filed in and took their places on the front dais. Silence descended on those assembled as the first of Balamb's top brass stood and cleared his throat.

"As you are all no doubt aware, we have been tracking the migration of large groups of summoners to the north for some time now. The purpose of this meeting will be to give you whatever information we have as well as to address any questions or concerns." He turned to look behind him. "Commander Saix, if you would?"

The blue haired man stood and took the front podium. "Alright, here's what we know. Approximately six months ago, small groups of summoners began leaving the major cities and surrounding areas, heading north. At first, this wasn't cause for concern as it is a known fact that life is difficult for summoners, especially in highly populated areas, and there is a need for workers in that area of the north. As time has progressed, however, the groups of summoners migrating have become much larger and, even more disturbing, is that they all seem to arrive at one particular location and then vanish." He paused and took a sip of water before continuing.

"There has also been a rise in violent incidents involving summoners in other areas; so far, there haven't been any serious injuries but at the rate things are progressing, it won't be long before that changes and even includes fatalities." He looked around the room. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you all the concerns we have regarding such a large gathering of summoners; the last such gathering resulted in the worst war anyone has ever seen before or since." No one spoke as the gravity of the situation began to sink in and then a single hand rose somewhere in the back. Saix nodded his acknowledgment and a student Seifer didn't recognize stood.

"During the last Summoner War we had the Turks and their technology fighting on our side; how can we expect to win this time without either?"

"Good question, I'll leave that for the head of our research and development department; Xemnas?"

Seifer leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as the silver haired researcher stood and moved forward. He'd known the other information; this is what he wanted to hear about.

Xemnas cleared his throat. "As some of you may be aware, several groups of researchers are currently being prepped to go out into the field and search for various Turk outposts that we have identified while searching through old records and reports. The purpose of these expeditions will be to locate and salvage anything that may be of use to us if war does indeed break out; technology will be of the highest priority. "

Seifer sat up straight. "And if you don't find what you hope to find? What then? Will you look into the less solid leads?"

Xemnas turned his gaze to the scarred soldier. "I find it highly doubtful that we won't find anything useful so I see no reason to waste time and resources chasing after legends and hearsay."

Seifer snorted and sat back, crossing his arms. Nothing else being said was new to the blonde so he excused himself and headed back to his rooms. After a quick bite to eat he stripped down and stepped into the shower. Standing with the hot water pouring down over his head and shoulders, Seifer fully acknowledged to himself that things were not looking good and that he'd soon have to look at preparing both himself and his equipment for battle. Things were certainly going to be busy for a while. Seifer finished his shower and, wrapping a towel around his waist, stood and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. Standing there, after everything he'd learned and knowing everything he would have to do, he couldn't help but wonder why, with things looking so grim, did all his thoughts continually seem to circle back to fog filled dreams and a lost summoner stuck in the darkness?

A/N- I'm fairly happy with this chapter even though I completely re-wrote half of it today. -.- I am already working on chapter 3 but am going to flip over and work on the next chapter of Ruin and Redemption so those of you following that story won't have to worry about it falling behind. I'm not sure which one will update next after this but I am working on both. Hope you enjoy!


	3. Like Shards of Broken Glass

**A/N: This chapter will flip back and forth between the past and the present and I have labeled each section accordingly to hopefully cut down on confusion.  
><strong>

**Chapter 3: …Like Shards of Broken Glass…**

_**The Past: 6 Years Prior to the Start of the Summoner Wars-**_

_**The Office of Military Affairs**_

"He's not ready for this, the Turks are the best of the best and the stress of the job can be too much for a seasoned fighter, let alone a kid."

"He's not a kid and he's seen and dealt with more in the last 6 months than most have in the last 6 years."

"He's **16**! He isn't legally an adult and by anyone else's standards, he's still a child; no one will take him seriously."

"The Turks will; they've requested him, specifically, and I guarantee you that once people see him in action his age will no longer be an issue."

The two nameless generals glanced through the door leading from their office out into the waiting area beyond. There, looking utterly bored, was a young man with sandy blonde hair, sitting with his knees tucked below him, absently playing with the summon he wore around his neck. Looking at the teen, one general still looked apprehensive and skeptical while the other just patted the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry; he'll be fine. It's practically a family business anyway."

* * *

><p>Hayner looked up at the sound of footsteps to see his cousin, Cloud, walking towards him with his particular brand of nonchalance and confidence. Stopping in front of the suddenly alert teen, the elder blonde raised his sunglasses and gave a small smile.<p>

"I'm in?" The younger asked, lowering his feet to the ground and standing.

"You doubted?"

A snort. "I'm not exactly the typical candidate for this job, you know."

Falling in beside his younger relative, Cloud gave a small laugh. "You're right, you have more sense."

"Then how do you explain Reno?"

A shrug. "We had a space to fill."

Brown eyes crinkled at the corners as the shorter male laughed, lapsing into silence moments later. The elder of the pair studied his companion as they walked. "Another dream?"

Silence, then, "Yeah, but this one was different; I wasn't alone this time."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "That's certainly new; anyone I know?"

The young summoner shook his head. "_I_ didn't even know him."

The other eyebrow joined the first. "Huh." Cloud thought on this a moment and gave his companion a sideways look. "Maybe…"

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind." The pair exited the building and headed for the motorcycle parked nearby. "Let's get going so we can get you settled in; I can think of a few people who are going to want to congratulate you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Present: Balamb Garden's Training Grounds<strong>_

"**Move your ASS, Zell! The enemy waits for no one and if you think you're the exception think again!**" Seifer bellowed. He watched the blonde man put more effort into making it through the obstacle course before turning away with a grunt of frustration as the man in question tripped and fell on his face in the mud.

"This is impossible; how are we supposed to win with _that_?" He asked of no one in particular, gesturing behind him. His friends Rai and Fuu lounged against a nearby wall and Rai shrugged as the glowering blonde moved closer.

"We could always throw him at them and hope we hit someone, ya know?"

"Tempting." Reaching the shade, the scarred soldier flopped down on the grass with a groan. The last few weeks had been hard on everyone and Seifer was no exception; he was exhausted. Once the research teams had been dispatched to try and find something they could use against the threat of war with the summoners, the rest of the garden had kicked into high gear. Daily training sessions, both individually and as part of a unit, strategy meetings and his own research had left the normally fit man feeling a bit run down; add in the dreams he'd been having about a certain summoner and…well…he was just damn tired.

The red eyed woman eyed him with a sympathetic look. "AGAIN?"

The man on the ground just sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Yeah, they're coming more frequently now; several times a week instead of just once."

"REST."

"She's right, ya know? Go get some sleep; we can finish up here."

Giving his friends a grateful smile, Seifer decided to take the advice and the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. Standing and making his way to his room as quickly as his tired body would allow, the scarred man stripped sweat soaked clothing from a muscular frame and took a quick shower. Clean, he then donned a pair of boxers, slid into bed and, as soon as he'd gotten comfortable, he fell asleep.

Ice blue eyes opened on familiar fog and darkness but his usual companion was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around at the nothingness, Seifer frowned in confusion before the sound of a muffled sob reached his ears. Following the noise, he walked farther into the inky blackness until a familiar figure began to emerge. Huddled against what appeared to be a boulder was Hayner, curled in on himself and crying.

Approaching the teen cautiously, Seifer crouched down near enough to touch him and reached out a hand. "Hayner?"

Breath hitched as the young summoner wiped his eyes, keeping his face averted from the man waiting nearby. After a couple of minutes, a short mirthless laugh escaped his lips. "It figures that even in the middle of nowhere I can't find myself alone for long enough to vent."

Seifer's lips compressed into a tight line; he'd never seen the younger blonde so upset and he found it distressing. Shifting forward slightly, he waited. After a minute, his patience was rewarded as the younger man sighed and turned so that his face was now visible to the soldier beside him.

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit, you look like hell." It was true, Seifer could see the stress etched in lines on the summoner's face and the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

"That good, huh."

The elder of the pair studied the man next to him for a moment before shifting into a more comfortable position. "Talk to me, Hayner."

The younger man looked as though he would protest, drawing himself up a little, but just as suddenly, his posture deflated and he just looked tired and defeated. "I don't even know where to start."

"What set this off? I've never seen you break down before."

For a moment Hayner looked almost angry. "Oh yes, the infallible Turk summoner; I must obviously no long be human since I commune with otherworldly beings and therefore must also be devoid of emotions." He snapped and then winced. "Sorry."

Seifer just nodded in acknowledgement of the apology and remained silent, waiting.

Hayner chewed on his lower lip and then sighed. "This war…it's destroying everything. The fighting has been worse than what anyone imagined and the amount of people killed…" He shuddered. "I can't even go out alone anymore. It doesn't matter if I'm a Turk or not, or that I'm fighting _against_ the summoners that started the war; because I'm a summoner I must also be a threat. According to some of the protestors that are currently camped outside, I'm a mole who will betray the Turks at the first available opportunity, handing the victory over to my _fellow summoners_."

Seifer scowled. "That's ridiculous."

"Tell them that." Hayner replied with a strained smile. He chewed on his lip a bit more and then in a small voice that Seifer had to lean forward to hear he said, "I killed a friend of mine today." He took a deep breath. "We grew up together but when the war started, he joined up with the other summoners while I stayed with the Turks. I figured it was such a huge war with so many people that I'd likely never even see him again." The blonde swallowed as tears began running down his face. "There was a group of summoners holed up in the mountains west of where we were stationed; they'd been disrupting supply lines and causing trouble for the nearby towns so we were sent in with another group of soldiers to clear them out. After a couple of hours I was ordered to finish it…so I did." The tears were coming faster now and Seifer's eyes burned just watching them. "I didn't know until after…until I saw…"

Hayner broke down as sobs once again racked his small frame. Seifer reached forward to comfort the distraught teen but, like so many times before, was stopped a few inches short by some sort of barrier that continued to keep them apart. He growled in frustration, feeling inadequate and helpless in the face of the grief he could do nothing to ease.

"Hayner…I want to do something…I _want_ to but I…"

A noise that sounded half laugh, half sob escaped the young summoner. "I know; you're probably one of the only ones that does…and you can't. Not even _here._"

* * *

><p>Seifer awoke with a start, waves of grief and anger rolling over him as he struggled with his inability to do anything about the scene he had both witnessed and been a part of. Pacing the length of his room like a trapped predator in need of an outlet, the scarred soldier let out a string of curses before suddenly turning towards the nearest wall and punching a hole in it with his fist. As Seifer stared at the damage he'd caused to the wall as well as to the knuckles on his right hand he came to the reluctant conclusion that if he continued on the way he was, he might actually go insane.<p>

* * *

><p>Several days later as Seifer was on his way to yet another training session, he was intercepted by a messenger bearing a summon from his Commander, Zack. Curious as to what the man could want on such short notice, Seifer changed directions and headed upstairs. Finding the door to Zack's office already open, he entered and then closed it when the man behind the desk motioned for him to do so.<p>

Zack held up a folder once Seifer was seated. "The preliminary reports from the research teams have come in."

Seifer sat up straighter. "And?"

"It was a total wash, it looks like someone got to all of the locations before us; anything of use is already gone." The dark haired man leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Even worse is that it looks as though the looting was done recently."

_That_ got Seifer's attention. "The summoners?"

Zack nodded. "That's the theory; someone has access to at least the same information that we do only they acted on it sooner." He grimaced. "If it was the summoners, they most likely had already salvaged what they could before even beginning to gather together."

"Shit. I told you we shouldn't only be relying on the concrete information; we should have been chasing the rumors too."

"Well, luckily for you, the top brass now agrees with that opinion and I've been given leave to put a less official team together to run down the not quite as solid leads. With trouble brewing, we can't afford to ignore even one possible advantage; especially now. So, pack your things; we have a base to find."

Seifer nodded and stood, exiting the office quickly; with time pressing down on them all, there would be no time to waste. As he reached his rooms and began packing what he thought would be needed during his time away the blonde soldier couldn't help but feel a small thrill of anticipation; he was one step closer. One more step.

* * *

><p>Several days later, Seifer and a handful of others including Zack and Seifer's two best friends, Rai and Fuu, stood in the middle of a large field about 200 miles southwest of Balamb Garden. Seifer was surveying the area and jotting down notes in a small notepad while Fuu was setting up some equipment with the help of her boyfriend. When it looked as if Seifer had finished in his task, Zack joined him in looking out over the area.<p>

"So this is the place, huh? I am…slightly underwhelmed."

Seifer smirked. "Not for long."

Quirking an eyebrow in his direction, Zack merely followed after his subordinate as he rejoined his friends and made some adjustments to the setup they'd completed. Another member of the team, Demyx, joined them as Seifer was finishing up.

"I still say you're daft, man…there's no way there was ever a base here. There would be ruins here if there had been." He took a bite out of an apple he'd been tossing between his hands. This is just a big waste of time."

Seifer ignored him a minute before stepping back and motioning for Fuu to take over. "The Turks prided themselves on having extremely well hidden outposts and supply depots; just what makes you think their main base would be any different? There wouldn't be any point to having the location remain a secret if it would be easy to spot."

"Hmph. I still say you're off your rocker."

Seifer looked to Fuu and she nodded. "READY."

"Go ahead and start."

Fuu punched in a few keys and waited; nothing happened. "Try the next." A few more keys but still nothing. The silver haired woman kept working while Demyx snorted. "See? A colossal waste of time. I'm telling you, we should have…"

Before Demyx could finish what he was going to say, the ground began to shake and about 20 yards away, a small section of earth was slowly rising out of the ground to reveal what appeared to be an elevator going down. As the doors slid open, Demyx dropped his apple and stared with bulging eyes. Seifer grinned in satisfaction. "Like I said; if it were easy to spot, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it?"

Zack let out a low whistle. "Just how did you manage that?"

The scarred blonde shrugged. "I figured that if I was right about this being the place, and given that there was no physical evidence visible that it had been destroyed, that the only logical explanation was for the base to be located underground. After that it was just a matter of finding every known Turk code; since they'd need some way to gain access to their own base, it only made sense that there would be some sort of electronic signal to allow entry."

While Demyx continued to stare, and Zack shook his head in amazement, Seifer made his way over to the now exposed elevator shaft. He looked back over his shoulder before entering. "Are you coming or not?"

"We'll be right behind you; this is your find, anyway." With a grin, Zack turned and began issuing orders to those remaining while Fuu and Rai joined their friend.

"ENTER?"

"Absolutely."

Seifer made room for his friends to join him inside the elevator before closing the doors and sending it down. After a couple of minutes the trio reached their destination and as the doors slid open, Seifer was surprised to find that his mouth had gone dry and his pulse had quickened. Here was what he'd been searching for and maybe, finally, he'd have some answers. Fuu, understanding at least in part, what Seifer was going through, placed a hand on his arm and waited. He looked down at the petite woman and gave a mirthless smile. "Alright, let's see what we can find."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Past: Final Battle of the Summoner Wars-<strong>_

_**Approximately 6 hours after the attack by the Unknown Summon**_

Waking up without any idea of where you are or how you got there was bad enough, but waking up to find yourself chained to a wall was worse. Not that Hayner minded the chains…it just would have been nice to have had some say in the matter. He groaned a little as he raised his head and opened his eyes, squinting a little at the brightness. Around him, he could hear similar protestations as the other Turks similarly woke up to their current situation.

"Is everyone alright?"

Hayner turned his head to the left to see Cloud, who was taking stock of his own injuries while attempting to see everyone else's. Past Cloud, the younger Strife could see Reno and their sharpshooter, Vincent, both injured though not severely; all were strung up like marionettes much like Hayner was.

"We're fine…though I wouldn't count on staying that way, all things considered." Hayner turned his head back the other way to look at the Turk's main intelligence officer, Zexion.

"We aren't done yet!" Reno protested with some heat.

"He's right." Cloud put in, looking around at their surroundings. "Cid, analysis?"

The Turk mechanic grunted. "Airship. Hell if I know which one but I bet I can tell you what side it belongs to." He studied the large machine in the center of the room that the group was arranged around. "All I know about that thing is that it's some sort of generator but it's unlike any I've ever seen; without being able to study it up close I can't tell you what it's for."

"Our gear is over here," Rikku piped up. "And can see my supplies; if we can get free I can blow this place to hell."

Cloud nodded. "We need an escape first; Hayner?"

"My mana's been drained; it'll take a while for me to regain enough to summon something large enough to get us all out of here. If we can get free, though, I can…"

"Well, well. It seems you're all awake…and plotting escape. I admire your tenacity but I assure you it will be quite impossible for you to do so."

Seven heads swiveled in near unison at the sound of the familiar voice and Hayner's stomach dropped when he saw his fears confirmed. Stepping out of the shadows created by the large generator was Sephiroth, _General _Sephiroth, the man leading the defense against the Summoners and, at least temporarily, the man the Turks had been deferring to over the course of the war. Shock and disbelief filtered across the other member's faces as they came to the same realization that Hayner had…all except for Cloud, who was glaring at the man before them and Vincent, who rarely showed that much emotion.

The general smirked. "Have you figured it out yet?" He turned to Hayner and the young man's mouth went dry. "I know your youngest member has."

"You've betrayed us all; you've sided with the Summoners and are…" Hayner's eyes narrowed and then widened as he looked at the man before him. "No…you _are_ a summoner; the Summon that attacked us…that was yours."

Sephiroth threw his head back and laughed delightedly as a string of curses exploded from both Cid and Reno. "Oh, very good; yes, very good indeed." The silver haired man strolled closer to his captives and stopped in front of the Turk summoner, a thoughtful look on his face. "I was going to kill you all before launching the final and decisive strike in this war but I think I'll let you live; at least long enough for you all to see how futile everything you've done really was."

Turning quickly, the general approached the large generator that took up most of the room and moving to a nearby control terminal, he quickly punched in a sequence of numbers. Sephiroth watched the machine power up and then grinned in satisfaction when the upper portion opened up to reveal what looked to be several pieces of Time Materia suspended within a stream of energy. As the materia began glow, Sephiroth turned to the Turks and gestured to the apparatus behind him.

"Behold the instrument of your destruction and the winning strike for the Summoners in this war."

"He always did have a flair for the overly dramatic." Reno muttered.

Rikku snorted in derision. "Oh yes, because Time materia will do what nothing else could. Even if you use that to cast Haste or Slow on huge groups of people, that won't guarantee you the war."

Sephiroth just laughed. "Short sighted little _fool_. Why should I bother attempting to influence this pointless war when I can simply set myself up in a time before anyone knew how to defend against summoners and then conquer _**everything**_? If it makes you feel any better, none of you will be around to see it." His grin was full of malice. "In fact, none of you may ever end up being born to begin with."

The general turned and watched as the generator proceeded to gather and pour more energy into the materia held within. Every so often, they would flair a little, a sign of instability that could possibly be used to the Turks' advantage; if they could get free in time to act. As the man before them began muttering under his breath, Cloud turned to Hayner and quietly got his attention, raising a single eyebrow in question. Hayner knew what he was asking about and nodded, seeing a spark of determination light the other man's eyes before closing his own to concentrate. While it was true that he was out of mana, what most people didn't know was that he'd been working on a backup plan for just such a hopeless occasion.

The young summoner had learned quite by accident that dead materia, while no longer useful for their original purpose, could be used instead as a way to store mana; and that was what Hayner had been doing, little by little, when he had any mana to spare outside of the constant fighting. Reaching out with his mind towards the materia he knew was laying with the rest of the Turks' gear, the younger man strained and felt the mana slip through his grasp. Biting back a growl of frustration- _There was no __**time**__! -_ He took a deep breath and tried again. The mana was slippery, this far away, and Hayner's mental fingers struggled to find purchase until, at last, he grabbed hold and _pulled_.

Eyes opening with a flash of light, Hayner called the fire and it came, melting through the chains that held him suspended. Sephiroth turned at the surge of mana in time to see the younger male drop to the ground but not in time to protect himself from the blast of pure energy that was hurled at his chest. As the silver haired man flew through the air and was slammed against the opposite wall, Hayner quickly turned and melted the chains holding the rest of the Turks in place. While the rest of his comrades hurried to re-arm themselves, Hayner turned back to face the now livid general as he picked himself up off of the ground, drawing his sword as he regained his footing.

"So," He snarled. "I see I should have killed you first after all. No matter, that is a mistake I will be happy to rectify."

Lunging forward, the enraged man swung for the summoner as Hayner hastily cast a Barrier spell in defense and rolled out of the way. Readjusting his grip, Sephiroth prepared to attack again but instead was forced to block as Vincent fired off a shot from one of his guns. Standing from his crouch, Hayner was joined by the other members of his team as they now stood together, prepared to face off against the man that had betrayed them.

The general sneered as he lowered his sword and adjusted his stance. "Ah, the gang's all here and as you are all so willing to fight, who am I to disappoint you?"

Slamming his fist into a nearby alarm, Sephiroth watched with satisfaction as additional troops began flooding the room. Grouped together, the Turks all adjusted the grips they had on their weapons and looked to Cloud. Eyes narrowed, Cloud raised his sword and took a step forward.

"We end this. _Now_!"

Breaking apart, the Turks charged forward towards the waiting soldiers and straight into chaos.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Present: Inside the Turks' Main Base<strong>_

The base was dark with only a few flickering lights along the corridor to show the way. Pulling a flashlight from the inside pocket of his jacket, Seifer flicked it on and made his way down the long hall, sweeping the beam of light back and forth with his two friends in tow. The hall opened up into a large room with several other doors leading out of it, as well as another elevator and a set of stairs. The room itself appeared made for nothing more than relaxation as it was furnished with several different couches, chairs and tables. Moving farther into the space, Seifer saw what looked to be a partially finished game of chess sitting off to the side and couldn't help but wonder if it had been the war that had interrupted the game or something else.

Continuing through the middle of the room, the blonde soldier chose a door at random and proceeded to move farther into the base. After about an hour, the trio had identified a gym, dining area, several storage rooms, a few bathrooms, another seating area, what looked to be a hydroponics lab and a fully stocked weapons locker. As they made their way back to the main room, they found Zack issuing orders as the other members of the team were unpacking. Lights had been set at various points around the room so Seifer turned his flashlight off and stowed it back in his pocket as he approached his commander.

"Well?"

"West wing of the first floor appears to be mostly common areas except for some storage and a weapons locker."

"Anything there we can use?"

Rai grinned. "Fully stocked, ya know? Can't wait to get in there…"

Seifer gave his own grin at the excitement in his friend's eyes; Rai's interest had always been with the fighting skills and weaponry utilized by the Turks so this must've been like an early Christmas present for the man.

Zack also gave the man a knowing look before returning his attention to Seifer. "What about the East Wing?"

"We didn't find much; the rooms we could access were all empty and the rest were locked down. Without either breaking in or getting this place up and running so we could open them properly, I can't tell you what's behind them." He crossed his arms. "From the look of the empty rooms, they would probably be living quarters but there weren't enough for every Turk so there will most likely be more on a different level."

Zack nodded. "Alright. First things first, we need to find a way to restore the power here so the priority is going to be finding both the control room as well as the generators; there's no telling how long the emergency power will last. Since we know neither are on this floor, we'll split up and send different teams to the remaining floors." He paused. "Any idea how big this place might be?"

Seifer shook his head. "At least three but it wouldn't surprise me to find more than that…maybe five or six depending on what was kept here."

"Okay, why don't you three take the next floor down and I'll take another group to the level below that; I'm guessing the generators would be on the lowest level so see if you can find the control room."

With a plan in mind, Rai and Fuu each grabbed one of the lamps that were sitting nearby as Seifer fished his own light back out. Heading down the next set of stairs, the trio continued their search, and with every step, the blonde soldier felt his nerves tighten a little more. Even though he knew it was unlikely, he couldn't help but entertain visions of walking into a room only to find the bodies of the missing Turks; Hayner's body… Banishing the thought, Seifer continued checking rooms until a shout from Rai had him trotting back down to the other side of the hall.

"We found the control room, ya know?"

Seifer entered and surveyed the room; there was a long row of computer terminals on the far side with smaller stations scattered throughout. Peeking into a side room revealed a few more workstations as well as some equipment Seifer couldn't immediately identify. Turning back, the scarred man saw Fuu already at work checking over the equipment and attempting to bring one of the smaller terminals online. After a few minutes, the screen flickered to life and the work began in earnest. Gaining access to the security protocols, Fuu began working to unseal the locked doors but was met instead with a message warning about the low emergency power.

"GENERATORS."

Seifer ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Rai, go find Zack and let him know we found the control room but that without power, we won't be able to manage much. Fuu, I know you don't have much to work with, but see if you can at least find the blueprints for this place." They both nodded. "I'm going to continue looking around this floor; yell if either of you need anything."

Exiting the room, Seifer continued down the hall he'd started exploring while Rai doubled back to find Zack and his team. A couple more bedrooms, some workrooms and an infirmary had Seifer coming to the last room in the hall; the door was unlocked but seemed to be stuck. A few minutes spent tending the hinges and applying a great deal of pressure had the door suddenly swinging open with the soldier stumbling past the doorway and into the center of the room. He found himself in another small sitting room, this one with another door off to the right that appeared to lead to a bedroom. Raising his light for a better look, Seifer froze; he knew whose room this was…he'd heard it talked about too many times not to. The bed on the left wall was unmade with various articles of clothing tossed at the end of it and the desk on the far side was littered with half-finished reports and an empty glass. While the reports might tell Seifer something, it was the sketches hanging on the wall above the desk that caught his attention. He'd remembered Hayner talking about them – _Dream, it was just a dream_ – Lowering the hand he'd unconsciously raised, Seifer instead turned towards the shelves on the right side. There, on the center shelf, was a picture of Hayner and his cousin, Cloud…Seifer remembered him talking about that day too…

Letting out a growl of frustration, Seifer crossed back over to the desk and sat down, dropping his head to rest in his hands. He'd come all this way and had found more in twenty years than anyone else had in the last two hundred yet he wasn't satisfied; what good was finding Hayner's belongings when all he really wanted was to find the man himself…and not go crazy doing it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Past: The Final Fight<strong>_

The Turks were exhausted but they fought on anyway. Most of the soldiers had been either knocked out or killed but Sephiroth was still fighting and there was no sign of him giving ground. Reno and Cid fought back to back against one of the remaining groups of soldiers while Rikku had managed to run off, Vincent in tow, to find and disable the airship's engines. Zexion was down from a shot to his left leg but still managed to help his team with the occasional shot and Hayner was throwing whatever he had at anyone in his way while watching the downed man. Spying another soldier taking aim at Cloud's back while he fought against the general, Hayner shot off an ice spell and watched as the man fell, frozen, to the ground. A noise from behind recaptured Hayner's attention, however, and he turned to see that the generator had finished powering up and was now sending off sparks of energy as it prepared to activate the Time materia within. Hayner wasn't the only one to notice, either.

Grinning in triumph, Sephiroth threw his weight behind his next attack, sending Cloud reeling back in an attempt to regain his balance. "It's too late; I've won and you have all failed!"

Cloud surged back towards his opponent but was stopped short as a bolt of energy shot out through the materia in the generator and hit the ground in front of him. Blinking to clear his eyes, Hayner couldn't believe what he was seeing; about six feet in front of him was what could at best be described as a shimmering portal. It was like looking through a window only there was no frame and it certainly wasn't any place he'd ever seen before. Sephiroth laughed as he moved towards what Hayner would have before called the impossible. _I can't let him leave! _Searching desperately for a way to stop the man he knew he couldn't currently beat, Hayner did the only thing that he could do, and sent a lightning spell directly at the generator with all the mana he left. The spell hit the generator just as the power flowing through the materia surged, and the materia, unable to stand up to that type of pressure, shattered into fragments. Energy arcing, the portal Sephiroth was about to step through disappeared only to be replaced with dozens of others, all of varying sizes and stability.

Sephiroth let out a howl of rage as he began advancing on the now drained summoner only to be rocked back by an enormous explosion coming from the bowels of the ship. While the Turks and remaining soldiers righted themselves, Rikku and Vincent came running back into the room.

"Premature detonation, I repeat, we have premature detonation!" The blonde girl shrieked as she skidded to a halt. "We need to get off this airship, now!" Another explosion tore through the ship and the remaining soldiers fled.

The sound of a sword being sheathed had Hayner looking up to see that Sephiroth had put away his weapon and was making his way over to the nearest stable portal. "Cloud, he's getting away!"

Cloud looked up and began running towards the silver haired general, but it was too late; with one last sneer the man jumped through the opening and the portal closed behind him.

"Son of a BITCH! Now what're we supposed to do?" Reno snapped.

"We need a way off of the ship; I've no intention of going down with it." Zexion replied, standing with Rikku's help. "Hayner?"

The blonde shook his head. "I'm out; I drained the last of the mana I had stored and I don't have any more materia."

"No choice then, we exit like Sephiroth did." Vincent said, holstering his gun.

"But how do we know which one to choose? We don't know where we'll end up!" Rikku chimed in. "I'm not going somewhere I can't blow things up."

A third large explosion rocked the ship and the group staggered as the vessel began losing altitude. Hayner growled in frustration. "We either take our chances or we die with the ship; if we don't make a choice soon we're sunk either way."

"Everyone spread out and look for any portals stable enough for us all to get through." Cloud ordered, putting his own weapon away. "We haven't got much time."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Present: The Turk Base<strong>_

After three days, Seifer had managed to thoroughly explore the Turk base from top to bottom; all except the places he and the rest of the team couldn't access due to the security lockdown. Zack still hadn't managed to get the generators up and running although they did find them in better condition than expected so while a few members like Rai and Fuu had work to keep them busy, Seifer himself did not. There were only so many times the soldier could work out or train in a single day so it wasn't surprising that he found himself drawn more and more to Hayner's rooms. Over the last few days he'd discovered more about the man himself as he read over reports and letters that were found in the desk and as he also looked over the items he'd felt important enough to keep.

Sitting back on the couch, Seifer got comfortable and continued leafing through his latest find; Hayner's journal. Most of the pages were full of what anyone would expect to find in a journal; observations and complaints as well as a fairly colorful commentary about the people he worked with. Seifer learned more about the Turks themselves just by reading through the book he now held than any other book written by whatever scholar thought they knew best. It wasn't until he got near the end of the entries, though, that things began to change. Roughly six years before the beginning of the Summoner Wars, Hayner began talking about his dreams, which wasn't uncommon, but when he began mentioning the addition of a blonde man with ice blue eyes…

Shock and something else jolted through Seifer's system as he read over the passage again; it just wasn't possible. _There's just no way…_ Before he could read the passage a third time, however, a shout from the hall outside got his attention. Putting the book down he got up and opened the door to find Demyx staring at a small spot of light floating in the middle of the corridor.

Blue eyes narrowed. "What the hell?"

Demyx spun around at the sound of his voice and looked almost relieved to see him. "There you are; Zack sent me to find you. These things," He motioned to the glowing spot in front of him, "have just started appearing all over the place and he wanted everyone spread out to check the base over."

"Some kind of security system?"

Demyx shook his head. "Not as far as anyone can tell. They're random and in different sizes; I swear I saw something through one but it disappeared before I could get a better look. Someone else said they're outside, too but I haven't been up to check."

Seifer nodded and began moving down the hall. "Where does Zack want me?"

"Check the first level; most of us are in the lower two or outside. I'm going to check in with Zack and then will be up to help you."

Separating at the stair well, Seifer went up and stared in shock. The main room was _filled_ with the softly glowing lights varying in size and shape. As he walked towards the center of the room, some of the larger lights he'd been walking towards began to coalesce until, with a bright flash, a sort of large window opened. Seifer carefully approached it and felt his mouth go dry at what he saw; standing on the other side with debris falling around him, was Hayner.

Without hesitation, he filled his lungs and yelled.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Past: The Final Fight<strong>_

Hayner didn't need to be told twice and while the rest of the Turks spread out near the generator looking for a stable portal, he ran to search farther out. Spying a bit of light on the far side of the room he began making his way over, dodging debris along the way, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sound of his name.

"**HAYNER!**"

Whipping his head around, the startled summoner found himself looking into a pair of ice blue eyes, familiar eyes, on the other side of a portal, a _stable _portal. Shaking off his paralysis, Hayner quickly bellowed to the other Turks that he'd found a way out and turned back to the pale man on the other side.

"You may want to stand back; there are a lot of us coming through."

* * *

><p>Too shocked to argue, Seifer backed out of the way as the rest of the Turks came into view and began barreling towards the opening. Vincent was first along with Zexion, whom he was still supporting, followed by Reno, Rikku and Cid. Only Cloud and Hayner were left but as the pair headed for the portal, a support beam detached from the ceiling, headed right for them. Not stopping to think, Hayner shoved Cloud out of the way, sending him through with the rest of the Turks. Attempting to dodge, the summoner was only partially successful and the resulting hit left him lying dazed on the ground.<p>

Seifer watched with horror as Hayner was hit and went down, not moving, but the words he heard next were worse.

"The portal's losing stability; he's not going to make it!"

Not bothering to consider any alternative, the scarred man pushed through the Turks and jumped through the opening back to where the summoner was struggling to rise. Honey brown eyes met blue as he hoisted the younger male to his feet and the sound of bending metal echoed through the ship like a dying scream. It took a yell from behind him to startle the soldier back into action.

"We have to go."

Adjusting his grip on the man beside him, Seifer turned and charged back through the portal as it began to collapse, dragging the younger man with him.

"What the hell is going on in here?" The sound of an explosion and an unknown voice letting off a string of curses had Zack charging back up to the first floor with the rest of his subordinates right behind him. Thinking the worst, he'd grabbed his sword on the way up and was just raising it to confront the threat beyond the first floor doorway when he stopped in confusion and shock a few steps in. Lowering his weapon, the dark haired man could only stare at the sight that met his eyes. Sprawled in the middle of the floor was the entire Turk squad, looking a little worse for wear, and just past them was Seifer holding their youngest member, looking as though he never planned to let him go.

**A/N 2: **I really hope this chapter was okay...it gave me a terrible headache just getting through it. -.- My goal is to have another chapter of something up before Christmas though there's a lot going on right now; as always, I would appreciate any reviews as they make my day and I get motivated to write after reading them! 3


	4. Catching Up

**A/N: Back again! I'm not as happy with the end of the chapter as I am with the beginning though the beginning should make up for any following lameness. -.- The story is rated M for a reason and all I ask is that you be gentle with me guys, I'm new at this.  
><strong>

**Chapter 4: Catching Up**

Zack continued to stare in disbelief at the scene before him but quickly shook off the paralysis; it was fairly obvious that there were injured amongst the Turks that needed tending. So, thrusting his curiosity aside, he stepped forward and cleared his throat. Six heads swiveled in his direction as one man with blonde hair and a huge sword strapped to his back stood; Seifer and the younger male contained within the protection of his arms remained still.

"I am…at a bit of a loss; it's fairly obvious, however, that you have injured so I'm perfectly willing to wait to figure out what just happened here in favor of taking care of everyone first."

The blonde with the sword nodded. "I agree." He looked back at his team and then over to his cousin and the man he was holding onto before stepping forward. "I'm Cloud" He motioned to the others behind him "That's Rikku, Reno, Cid, Vincent, Zexion and…"

"Hayner." Zack supplied. When Cloud raised an eyebrow at him, he grimaced and just shrugged. "I've heard about him too much not to know who he is."

Cloud gave the dark haired man a small smile and then looked back at the pair still on the floor. "That would be…Seifer, then?"

At the startled glance he received in response, Cloud's smile grew bigger and his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Then I can relate."

Zack just shook his head in puzzlement as the leader of the Turks helped Vincent hoist Zexion up off of the floor. "Zexion has the worst of the injuries so we should take care of him first."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Zack ordered his subordinates out of the way and back to work on their various tasks as the Turks helped their injured member down to the infirmary. Rikku paused in the doorway, looking back towards the pair they'd left behind but it was Cid who nudged her along and walked back.

He cleared his throat and waited while Seifer raised his head to look at the normally gruff mechanic. "The infirmary has plenty of room to take care of Hayner's injuries as well, but they don't look too severe and I know he usually keeps a first aid kit in his own rooms…" Seifer nodded in thanks and turned his attention back to the summoner while Cid turned and headed back towards the stairs. A small group of soldiers stood off to the side, watching as he walked past with apprehensive looks on their faces; two actually jumped when he spun back to face them.

"What the hell are you all just standing around for? There's work to be done so get moving and do it!" He continued walking as they scrambled to follow the man's orders. "And why the hell aren't any of my lights on?" The sounds of the mechanic and the apologizing soldiers faded as they moved farther into the base and Seifer figured it was time for them to at least move someplace out of the way.

Still not quite able to believe what had just happened, Seifer turned his gaze to the man in his arms and resisted the urge to tighten his grip; if he did they'd never take care of the still bleeding cut to the young summoner's head. Shifting his arms, Seifer brought his right hand up and began gently running his fingers through Hayner's hair.

"Hayner? Why don't we go take care of that cut on your forehead and then we'll…talk." He finished lamely. The younger male took a deep breath and then nodded into the elder blonde's shirt, shifting away after a moment more. Brown eyes flickered up to meet blue and just as quickly moved away as Hayner got unsteadily to his feet, the scarred soldier following suit with one hand outstretched to keep the younger male steady. The pair made their way in silence down the stairs and past the infirmary where Zexion was being taken care of to Hayner's rooms. Shutting the door behind them, Seifer followed Hayner into the bathroom, grabbing a lamp on the way, where the shorter male was already fishing out the first aid kit he kept in the linen closet.

"I have some newer bandages in my pack; I'm not sure how good anything in there will be after…"

"Five hundred years?" Hayner finished for him. "It's fine, everything should be like it was the day I put it away." At Seifer's look of skepticism, he smiled. "There's a reason everything here looks as good as it does; Cid could explain it better than me but it's a combination of magic and technology. In the case of this first aid kit, or anything else that we wanted to keep from going bad, the magic used is a stop spell."

The scarred man nodded, admiration lighting up his features as he cleaned and bandaged the cut on the younger male's forehead. "Fuu was always the most impressed with your technology but that's not even something she knows about."

A small smile crossed the summoner's face. "We don't exactly pass our secrets along to anyone who isn't a Turk."

"You just told me."

"Yeah, but that's because you're…" Hayner glanced up and his words trailed off as he made eye contact with the man next to him again. Confusion and uncertainty showed in the honey brown depths as Seifer closed the distance between them.

"I'm what, Hayner?"

"You're…"

"What?" Seifer murmured.

Hayner swallowed and his breath sped up as the elder male brought a hand up and cupped the back of his head. "Seifer…we shouldn't…" He protested weakly.

"I've waited twenty years, Hayner, I don't want to wait anymore." Bending down slightly, the scarred soldier pressed his lips to Hayner's, lightly at first, then with more pressure as the summoner didn't protest.

Hayner brought his hands up to fist in the front of the taller man's shirt as the kiss deepened and a small moan escaped him; it was the moan that was Seifer's undoing. Before he realized what he was doing, he had the smaller man pressed back up against the counter and was ravaging the soft lips beneath his own. Tongue darting in and out of the younger blonde's mouth, Seifer brought a hand up underneath Hayner's shirt and ran it over the smooth skin, enjoying the feel of the muscles that tightened and quivered as a result of his touch. Another moan from the lithe summoner momentarily brought the soldier to his senses and he pulled back, breathing hard; he hadn't meant to take it that far this soon.

"I'm sorry, Hayner, I didn't mean to…"

The shorter male growled in the back of his throat. "Shut up, Seifer." Snaking a hand up, Hayner grabbed a handful of blonde hair and yanked the older male back down into a hard kiss. Lust, hot and unexpected, shot into Seifer's gut and he pulled the summoner hard against his body, hands tangled in sandy blonde locks. Increasing his grip, Seifer pulled Hayner's head back as he moved to attack the softer skin of his neck. Gasping as teeth grazed and then sunk into a particularly sensitive spot, the shorter male hooked a leg around one of Seifer's and ground against the scarred man, eliciting a groan in response.

"Seifer, _God_." Untangling himself from the taller man, Hayner hooked a hand in the front of Seifer's pants and began pulling him farther into the bathroom. When the elder of the pair raised an eyebrow in question, Hayner grinned and pulled off his shirt, tossing it aside. "Shower."

Smirking in response, Seifer watched as Hayner quickly turned on and adjusted the water before stepping up and running his hands over the lightly defined abs of the summoner before him. Breath catching in his throat, the shorter male turned around and began working to remove Seifer's pants as the soldier pulled his own shirt off and tossed it to land with Hayner's. Impatient now, the rest of the clothing was quickly stripped from heated bodies and discarded as the two males stumbled back into the shower.

Taking a moment to admire the man in front of him, Hayner ran his hands over the well-defined chest and abs of the scarred soldier before sending them lower. Making eye contact, Hayner gave the taller man a wicked smile before grabbing the hardened erection he'd found with his questing. A groan tore itself from the taller blonde as he pushed the still grinning summoner against the water slicked tile. "God Hayner, you have no idea what you do to me."

Hayner's hand traveled down and back up the length of the member he held as he brought his mouth up for another heated kiss. Pulling back slightly, he grinned again as he made eye contact. "Then show me."

With a growl, Seifer grabbed and lifted the summoner, pausing only long enough for the lithe blonde to wrap his legs around his waist before sinking his teeth into the space between Hayner's neck and shoulder. Breathing ragged, Hayner let out a groan of his own as he dug his nails into Seifer's back and began grinding against the older male. Tearing his mouth away from tan flesh, the blue eyed man moved back for another kiss as he re-adjusted his grip in order to begin loosening up the younger male. Tongues warred for dominance as the two blondes continued to grind against each other until the elder hit a particularly sensitive spot with his fingers and Hayner threw his head back with a moan.

"Seifer, please…" He begged.

"I don't want to hurt you, Hayner." He replied, planting kisses down the length of the summoner's neck.

"You won't; Seifer _please_."

Shifting both his stance and his grip, the soldier pulled Hayner up slightly and pulled back before thrusting himself hard into the smaller male. A ragged groan tore from each man's throat before they began moving together, water running down their joined bodies. Recapturing the scarred man's mouth with his own, Hayner tightened his grip as the thrusts into him became harder and faster, his body shuddering from the force. Breath coming out in gasps, the summoner broke off the kiss and dropped his forehead to rest on Seifer's shoulder as their movements became almost frenzied.

"Seifer, I'm going to—ah…"

"Look at me, Hayner. I want to see you."

Raising his head, Hayner brought his eyes up to meet those of the scarred blonde as Seifer gave a few more hard thrusts and the younger blonde came, throwing his head back with a scream; a few moments more and Seifer joined him. The Turk summoner held on limply as he dropped his head back down on the older man's shoulder with a contented sigh. Breathing heavy, the soldier ran a hand up Hayner's back as he dropped a kiss down on his neck.

"You are really sexy when you finish, you know that?" He murmured.

A tired chuckle escaped from the man in his arms as he was carefully lowered to his feet. "So are you…but I'm still a little dazed so I may need another look later to make sure I saw correctly."

The scarred man smirked. "I'm sure that can be arranged. We should probably clean up first, though."

Seifer leaned down for another kiss before quickly washing himself and then turning his attentions to the shorter male. Ten minutes and a great deal of groping later, both blondes finally left the shower, dried off and got dressed. Hayner looked longingly over at the bed before turning resolutely towards the door leading out towards the sitting area.

"As much as I'd like nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep, I figure we should at least make a token effort at responsibility."

Seifer grinned. "A very small token, I'm sure."

Throwing a smile over his shoulder at the elder blonde, Hayner reached back and linked their hands before leaving his rooms and heading for the infirmary, dragging the soldier along in his wake. Entering the room that, considering the Turks' occupation, wasn't used a great deal, the youngest member of said group could see that Zexion was alone, the others having cleared out sometime earlier. The young summoner thought at first that the silver haired male was sleeping but as he came closer, blue eyes opened and one eyebrow went up.

"I wasn't aware it took thirty minutes to tend to a single cut…or were you tending to something else?" Blue eyes flickered past the younger male to the soldier standing behind him as Hayner's face flushed scarlet; Seifer, damn him, just smirked. Hayner stammered for a moment before settling for a fairly lame 'never mind' which had Zexion grinning in response. After a moment of silence in which Hayner attempted to pretend he wasn't embarrassed and Zexion pretended he was succeeding, the younger Turk turned back to his bedridden teammate.

"So, where is everyone else?"

"Cloud went off with the Commander in charge, Zack; I think they're discussing the current situation. Vincent went to locate a requested set of blueprints, Reno is cataloging supplies and everyone else is down working on the generators with Cid; that would include your friends and the other soldiers with you." Zexion finished with a nod at Seifer. "Cloud threatened hell if anyone bothered you but Cid could probably use your help, too."

Hayner nodded and then looked slightly guilty. "I'd heal you if I had any mana, Zex…"

The older Turk just shook his head. "I know you would so don't worry about it. I'll be fine for the next couple of days so you just do what needs to be done in the meantime."

The summoner sighed and gave his companion a small smile. "Alright, try and get some rest then."

Zexion nodded and blue eyes were already drifting closed as the soldier and his summoner left the room. Heading farther down the hall and towards the stairs that led down, Hayner admitted to himself, with no little amusement, that if Zexion hadn't told him where everyone was, the sounds of cursing coming from Cid's area would've given it away. The two males made their way down to the lower level to find the mechanic in question with his upper body inside one of the three main generators for the base while those assigned to help him stood off to the sides looking nervous and uncomfortable. With a small smile, Hayner walked over to the group.

"He won't bite, you know."

Several soldiers jumped as a loud band and a new string of cursed erupted from inside the generator and the one nearest Hayner grimaced. "He won't bite _you_ maybe; I'm not sure about the rest of us."

With another grin the summoner just squeezed past the soldiers, which wasn't hard as they were more than happy to get farther away from Cid, and when he was within reaching distance of the generator, he made a fist and banged on the side of it.

"Hey! You might want to watch the language, Cid, there are ladies present."

Pulling himself out of the machine, the Turk mechanic wiped greasy hands on the front of his pants and glared at the shorter male. "What ladies? Rikku's never once acted ladylike and from what I've seen, that Fuu girl probably hasn't either. Hell, either one could probably out swear me any day." He leveled a glare at the summoner. "Try again."

Hayner sighed and crossed his arms, jutting one hip out slightly as he shifted. "Alright, fine; you're scaring the soldiers."

Glancing over at the group that was attempting to disappear into the shadows, Cid sneered. "Bunch of babies, all of them. I bet none of them can hold their liquor either." He turned. "Hey! You lot! Go help Fuu or something before I really give you a reason to hide."

Seifer watched with amusement as the soldiers fled and then joined the other two blondes. "Have you ever worked as a drill sergeant before?"

Cid turned to face him. "No, why?"

"I would pay to watch you scare some sense into the soldiers I was training."

The mechanic grinned. "Keep your money, I'd do that for free."

Hayner just snorted and turned his attention towards the generator. "So how bad is it?"

"Not as bad as it could've been; focusing crystals were shot so I replaced 'em. Everything else looked fairly good so all we need now is a good jolt to get it going."

"I'd love to help with that but I'm out of mana; I used all the materia I had, too."

Cid snorted. "No you didn't; Rikku has at least half a dozen materia full of mana in her workshop. Gimme a minute." Cid left and came back a minute later with the aforementioned materia dangling from several leather thongs in his hand. "Here."

Hayner took the materia before turning a confused look on the mechanic. "What was Rikku doing with these and when did she take them? I don't even remember filling these which means its been a while."

Cid shrugged. "Before the war as far as I know and why else would she want them? This is Rikku we're talking about; she's always looking for new ways to blow shit up."

Hayner just rolled his eyes and began draining the mana. "I guess I should be grateful she had them but remind me later to hide any filled materia I make in the future." Rolling his shoulders to loosen them, the summoner turned towards the now fixed machinery. As lightning began curling around his fingers he looked back and met ice blue eyes. "You might want to stand back a little."

* * *

><p>Zack looked up as the lights flickered and then suddenly came back to life, a cheer coming from the floor below. A small smile graced his lips at the success before turning his attention back to the blonde that sat nearby, brooding. Jubilation at the return of the power was short lived and Zack's mood sobered as he brought his attention back to the matter at hand.<p>

"So you've no idea where or when Sephiroth ended up?"

Cloud shook his head. "No but from what you've told me in regards to the current uprising, I can guess."

"You think this is all Sephiroth's doing?"

The Turk leader turned to face the dark haired soldier. "Yes, I do; think about it. His original goal was to go far enough back in time to set himself up as some kind of god. Hayner pretty thoroughly ruined that plan and he was forced to take another portal, not knowing where he would end up. So, assume for a minute that the portal Sephiroth went to carried him forward in time, like us. You said yourself that things have been fairly difficult for summoners since the end of the last war; they aren't trusted, most are hated, and life is just hard in general." Zack nodded. "So, Sephiroth finds himself in this kind of situation and, as no one knows what's happened to _us_, let alone _him_, he sees an opportunity to exploit. He may not have been able to set himself up as a king in the past but I bet you anything he's aiming to do it now."

Zack looked grim but couldn't refute the scenario laid out by Cloud; with everything he'd seen on top of what he'd just heard it just made too much sense. He stood. "We need to tell the generals what's going on; they need to know about all of this. If you and your team are willing we could use the help in stopping this mess and, from the events that led you here, I'm betting you wouldn't mind a little payback." Zack turned towards the door to leading out of Cloud's office. "I'll get in contact with the top brass and then…"

"No!" Cloud said sharply, surprising Zack into turning back around. "We've been down that path before and I'm not leading my team down it again."

"I thought you'd want to _help_!"

"I do but not at the expense of my team, not again." Cloud met angry blue eyes the shade of his own and sighed. "Look, we'll help you, we will, but not like that."

"Dammit Cloud, you have to trust…"

"The last general I trusted betrayed us all!"

The two men stood and glared at each other before moved to sit back down, rubbing one hand over his face. "Then what do we do, Cloud? We need your help too desperately for me to piss you off and have you walk away."

Cloud moved to sit beside him. "Tell me a little about the current set up of the military and we'll go from there."

Zack shrugged. "Such as?"

"Recruitment, drafts; anything that will provide for the allowance of temporary troops in time of crisis."

Blue eyes narrowed in thought and then widened slightly. "There is a provision under the articles of war stating that any Commander, or Lieutenant promoted on the field due to a casualty, can enlist replacements, or new recruits, under the _direct command_ of that Commander for as long as the Commander in question requires them. More often than not, this deals with civilians and what the military would label as 'specialists', not soldiers already under someone else's command."

Cloud smiled and Zack's breath caught a moment as the expression caught him off guard. "I think," The blonde said, "that we can make this work. Here's what we do…"

* * *

><p>A few more hours, some more swearing, and dozen or more lightning bolts later and all three of the main generators were back online with the backups getting a much deserved break and chance to recharge. With a sigh of satisfaction, Seifer stretched sore muscles and walked over to where Hayner was leaning against the wall, eyes closed.<p>

"Tired?"

Brown eyes opened. "A little, everything will probably hit me later; I was fighting a war less than six hours ago, you know."

Seifer smiled and moved to put his arms around the younger male. "That's true; you'll have to let me know if there's something I can do to show my appreciation for all your hard work."

Hayner grinned and gently pulled the taller male's face closer to his own. "I'm fairly sure I can think of something."

Warm breath ghosted over skin as the summoner brought his lips up to meet those of the man holding him. The kiss deepened and Hayner moved his arms around his partner's neck as they stood, oblivious to everything else around them. Cid, on his way back from speaking to Cloud, stopped and scowled at the pair and then shook his head. "Kids."

A sigh from nearby had him turning to see his daughter, Rikku, watching the two blondes with a dreamy expression on her face. "Isn't it sweet?"

Cid's scowl deepened. "What are you, a fan girl? Get your ass upstairs, Cloud wants to see us." With a light smack to the side of her head as a sign to get moving, the mechanic then turned back to the other two. Clearing his throat loudly, Cid watched with amusement as the two men separated; Hayner looking guilty and Seifer, smug.

"Turk meeting upstairs." He eyed the taller blonde. "You too, lover boy."

Seifer smirked and, keeping a hand on Hayner's back, followed the gruff mechanic upstairs and into one of the smaller sitting rooms where the rest of the Turks, Zexion included, were already waiting; Fuu, Rai and Zack were also present and once everyone was seated, Cloud stood and cleared his throat.

"By now, most of you, if not all, should be aware of the current situation and the problems we'll be facing in regards to it. It's fairly obvious that our help will be needed if the current uprising of summoners is going to be stopped and, to do that, we're going to have to cooperate with the ruling military…"

"No! No way!" Reno interrupted. "We've been down that road and look where it got us; betrayed by the general we trusted."

Cid snorted. "I'm more pissed off at all the information he got from us; the tech and outpost locations…"

From there, the conversation grew more heated as the other Turk members put in their two cents on the betrayal they'd all just endured and what they'd have to do to end the current crisis. After a few minutes listening to the debate Cloud had had enough and sticking two fingers in his mouth, he whistled. _Loudly_. When the conversation ceased and all eyes were on him once more, the Turk leader continued.

"I understand how you're all feeling, I feel the same way, but the truth of the matter is that this war won't be won unless we cooperate with the military again. We don't have the man power to wage a war by ourselves and the military doesn't have the tech _they_ need." As voices began rising again in protest, Cloud raised his and continued to talk over the noise. "We are **not**, however, going to be working under the _command _of the military."

Silence and then, "Okay, you lost me. How exactly does that work?" Reno asked, leaning back with his arms crossed.

"I believe" Vincent interjected "that's what he's trying to explain…if you'd shut up for a minute."

The red haired Turk leveled a glare at their gunman but, thankfully, remained silent and, after a moment, Cloud turned and nodded at Zack who then stood and took over.

"Alright, let me outline what we've come up with. Under the Articles of War it's possible to enlist the help of specialists outside of the normal military structure under the direct command of the recruiting officer; in this case, that would be me. Now, as I'm aware of what transpired with General Sephiroth, and I, in no way, want to step on anyone's toes, Cloud and I have come up with is a compromise of sorts. I'll officially list you all as specialists on the Turks and their technology brought in to help with the war; this will allow you to obtain the resources the military can provide while helping keep your anonymity."

Zexion narrowed his eyes as he studied the blue eyed Commander. "Why would we need to work anonymously? If we were still fighting in the same war I might understand, but-"

"Who said it wasn't?" Cloud asked quietly.

Nine pairs of eyes were suddenly riveted on the Turk leader's face but only one voice broke the silence: Hayner's.

"You think it's Sephiroth, that he's here and behind the current problems with the summoners."

Cloud nodded. "That's my guess and if you look at the situation it seems entirely too similar to what started the last war and, knowing what we know now, as well as how we came to be here, it isn't a farfetched conclusion."

It was a sobering thought and Zack was loathe to break the silence but time was of the essence and he _really_ needed the Turks' help. "Cloud and I figured it would be best to approach this war as if it really is just a continuation of the one you all just came from and, keeping that in mind, it would be to our advantage if Sephiroth didn't know you were here. You won't be getting orders from the military; not even me. Your leader and I decided full cooperation would be best and I'm more than willing to follow _your_ lead rather than the other way around. Just…think about it."

The atmosphere was grim and since attempting to force a response was never a good idea, Cloud dismissed everyone with the request that they at least think about everything said and the possibility of another Turk/military alliance. It was agreed that a day or two would be given for the Turks to discuss the situation they'd once more found themselves in and that another meeting would be held when they'd come to some sort of consensus. Seifer stood and offered Hayner a hand up as everyone began to file out of the room to go work on separate tasks but the pair were stopped by Cloud before exiting.

"Hayner, I'd like to speak with you a minute."

Seifer thought he saw the younger teen pale slightly but didn't protest when Hayner said he'd see him back at his room in a few minutes. Walking away he wondered if he should have.

Once the soldier was gone and the door closed behind him, Hayner turned to his cousin with a feeling of apprehension.

"You normally aren't a stupid individual, Hayner, but this comes close."

Hayner flinched. "Cloud, I-"

"Dammit, Hayner, you know how important this is! I gave you time earlier to talk it over, not sleep together…and don't tell me you didn't because _I'm_ not stupid."

Hayner's face fell and he sagged into a nearby chair, dropping his face into his hands. "I know, Cloud, I _know; _but it's been _six years_ and there hasn't been a time in the last three where I didn't wonder if I was just completely losing my mind. I was going to tell him, I _was_ but I got carried away and…"

The elder Turk sighed and moved to crouch in front of the younger male. "I'm not doing this to be an ass, even if it seems like I am, but you have to understand where I'm coming from here. You know how this usually plays out and I'm not going to risk losing you because you're afraid of being hurt; I'll bind you to another if I have to." He stood. "If you haven't spoken to him by tomorrow, I will. And Hayner…" The summoner raised his eyes to look at the pale face of his cousin, his much loved and respected cousin. "…If I have to be the one to talk with him, and his answer isn't what's needed, I'll have to kill him."

* * *

><p>It seemed like an eternity from when Seifer had walked away to let Hayner speak with his cousin and when the teen finally made it back to his rooms, and he hadn't liked the separation one bit. He liked it less when he noticed how pale the shorter male was upon his return. Frowning in concern, the scarred male stood and began walking towards his companion but a strangled "Don't" from Hayner made him stop.<p>

"I need…we need…to talk."

A hand, partially raised, was lowered back to his side. "Alright." Seifer replied slowly. He waited a moment in silence and then took a step closer when he noticed the younger blonde was shaking. "Hayner…"

"Stop!"

Seifer froze.

Hayner took a shaky breath and then brought his arms up to hug himself. "I have to say this Seifer, I _have_ to, and if you touch me I won't…I won't be able to." He swallowed and looked away. "What do you know about summoners? And I mean summoners in general, not just me."

Seifer frowned at the questions but took a moment to think. "Truthfully, not much; each summoner varies in strength and which summons they can call and control." He gave a small shrug. "I'm going to assume that isn't the answer you were looking for."

Hayner shook his head. "What about how summoners get the power in the first place?"

"I've never heard anything about it and, now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever actually thought about it."

Hayner looked as if that was what he'd expected and then he glanced away, eyes shifting around the room to look at anything other than Seifer's face. "Someone once came up with the theory that certain people become summoners because they've lost half of their soul and the ability to control summons was to make up for that fact. It's pretty ridiculous when you stop to think about it and in the beginning, most people, summoners included, scoffed at the idea. Hell, even I scoffed at it. After a while though, a large group of summoners all began having dreams about people they'd never met and that same theorist came back with the idea that a soul, once separated, will continue to search for its missing half. The dreams, supposedly, were meant to help in that search."

"Hayner-"

Hayner shook his head violently. "I have to say this or I never will, Seifer." He took a breath. "Whether all of that is true or not will probably never be known but what is known is that nearly every summoner, especially the higher level ones, will eventually start having dreams about someone they've never met and will find themselves drawn to that person. I'm sure it wasn't a big deal in the beginning but when the war started…the war changed everything." Brown eyes glanced up at blue and then away again. "People were afraid to be associated with summoners and there were a lot of incidents where, out of fear or hate, the person drawn to the side of a summoner would reject them or, in the really bad cases, the summoner was killed by their other half because they were afraid of what it would mean to be tied to someone like that. There were even those that stayed together in the beginning but as the war went on…"

Seifer had heard enough. "Hayner, stop."

Hayner shook his head again and continued. "I understand that there's a stigma attached to summoners and what they do and that people fear and hate us…"

"Hayner."

"…and I'll understand if you don't…don't want to stay…"

"_Hayner_."

The summoner finally stopped and looked up as Seifer, ignoring the earlier protest, walked over and cupped the younger male's face with his hands. "Hayner, I don't care. I don't know why I'm drawn to you and I don't care; you've damn near been my entire world since I was a kid and the opinions of people that should mind their own business isn't going to make me walk away. This _war_ won't make me walk away." A single tear worked its way down Hayner's face and Seifer absently rubbed it away with a thumb. "I love you, you idiot, and nothing's going to change that."

A few more tears fell as Hayner closed his eyes and sagged into Seifer's embrace, bringing his arms around the taller male's waist. Running a hand soothingly up and down the teen's back, Seifer waited a few minutes before asking what brought all of this up. With a sigh, Hayner pulled back and wiped his face.

"Cloud said I had to tell you, to make you understand; summoners have been known to go crazy when their other halves either straight out rejected them or just later walked away. Some turned rogue and began attacking others indiscriminately but, more often than not, they committed suicide. He told me a long time ago that if I ever actually found you, I'd have to tell you everything straight out; with the war going on they couldn't afford to have me…unbalanced."

Seifer sighed. "I'm going to punch your cousin."

Hayner grimaced. "Please don't. I understand why he wanted me to do it; I don't have to like it but I understand." He was silent for a moment before looking back up to meet Seifer's eyes. "I love you too, you know."

The scarred soldier smirked. "I know."

Hayner punched him in the shoulder. "Ass."

"But you still love me, right?"

Silence.

"Hayner?"

"Hold on, I'm thinking about it."

Seifer snorted and pulled Hayner closer. "I know what will help you make up your mind."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"Another shower."

Hayner just laughed and let himself be led back into the bathroom.


End file.
